Obama Says Health-Care Reform Essential to Repairing Economy

By Michael A. Fletcher
President Obama urged Congress today to push past growing doubts and pass comprehensive health-care reform package this year, saying that a better opportunity to remake the nation's health care system may not arise for generations.

The president urged lawmakers Friday to take bolder steps to achieve health-care reform, and today in his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama called reform essential not only to expanding health care coverage to the 46 million Americans who lack it but also to restoring the nation's economic stability.

"This is an issue that affects the health and financial well-being of every single American and the stability of our entire economy," Obama said.

With the cost of health-care coverage rising at three times the rate of wages in recent decades, Obama called the status quo in health care unsustainable.

That fast-increasing cost of health insurance is crippling businesses, which are finding it difficult to afford to provide coverage. It is also placing a difficult burden on state and federal governments, who find increasing shares of their budgets consumed by Medicaid and Medicare costs. In addition, individuals who lack coverage frequently find themselves at risk of being thrown deep into debt by just one medical emergency.

As bills to expand health-care coverage take shape in both houses of Congress, criticism has intensified because of their potential costs. The Congressional Budget Office has said that the proposals fall short of Obama's promise to slow the increase in health-care costs, leading critics to charge that those bills would only add to the nation's already soaring budget deficits.

"That's simply not true," Obama said today.

Reform is expected to cost at least $1 trillion over the next decade, and Obama has pledged to pay for the changes without adding to the deficit. In fact, he says, the savings accrued by adjusting health-care incentives will eventually reduce medical costs and help bring the nation's budget deficits under control.

"By helping improve quality and efficiency, the reforms we make will help bring our deficits under control in the long-term," Obama said.

Rather than shy away from reform because of the difficulty, Obama urged, Congress should grab hold of the moment.

"This is what the debate in Congress is all about," he said. "Whether we'll keep talking and tinkering and letting this problem fester as more families and businesses go under, and more Americans lose their coverage. Or whether we'll seize this opportunity - one we might not have again for generations -- and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009."

Time for a new paradigm. Reform Health Care INSURANCE by legislating a federal mandate: All insurance corporations that sell health care insurance must form non-profit subsidiaries that offer all of their health care plans on a sliding scale according to income.

I had no insurance in 2003 when suddenly I had an emergency surgery for removal of a gall bladder. I live in Calif. I had a mortgage and I owned my car. I had an IRA worth $12,000 which I paid down on the $29,000 total cost (4 days in hospital). I received a letter from the local actue care hospital that the difference was paid by them, as charity, as I'd been a long time resident of the city.
In 2005 I again had no insurance when by incidental finding a precancerous pancreatic tumor was found. I contacted a friend in the insurance industry who applied for me with the state's high risk plan -I got blue cross to cover me at a cost of nearly $1,000 per month. That paid for the $100,000 surgery and recovery. If I'd had to pay cash it would have been five times that amount. As the insurance companies contract with hospitals and get a deal. Blue Cross never threatened to drop me. They probably thought I'd die. But I was a miracle, one in a million. (The tumor had cd10 expression, reflecting it was turning cancerous between 2weeks and 2 mos)
I had two more major surgeries for other personal reasons and Blue Cross paid for all of that too, another $65,000.
I had that policy for 36 mos.= $36,000
But I had to cancel the policy because I'm disabled from fibromyalgia and simply cannot bring in income to pay for this expense. My medical bills are rising due to the need to be followed for the rare tumor on my pancreas and a pre-leukemic condition, costing no less than $6,000 annually out of pocket. I currently have a debt with my physician and local hosptial. I'm not proud that I will need to depend on medicare and medi-cal in my 50's, but what are my choices now that I'm disabled?

Posted by: jstanton2
"I have spent the better part of my life travelling around the world. First as a dependent of my Marine Corps Father, then as a Soldier in the Army. Answer me this simple question Jack Smith-working class, if socialized medicine is so great overseas, why do citizens from all of these great societies run to America when they need Life Saving medical treatment?"

The answer is most of them don't only the rich ones. Because in America only the rich can afford the best doctors and the best care. The insurance companies give you their list of doctors and their list of covered procedures. If you have a crappy policy you pay yourself and usually enough to bankrupt you. Or you die.

I have spent the better part of my life travelling around the world. First as a dependent of my Marine Corps Father, then as a Soldier in the Army. Answer me this simple question Jack Smith-working class, if socialized medicine is so great overseas, why do citizens from all of these great societies run to America when they need Life Saving medical treatment? I can give you the answer if your stuck, their so called great social medical program either cannot handle the procedure or will not authorize the spending for the procedure.

I am a member of Americas socialized medical service now, it is called the VA hospital system, remember them? The same system Obama and the rest of the liberal elitist derided for it's failures during the campaign. NEWSFLASH... after spouting endless rhetoric about the VA and promising the moon and stars to us veterans it is still no better. This is the same system of health care they are trying to foist off on the rest of the country.

When I see Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Frank and Kennedy standing in line at a VA facility and are told they need to wait three months for care or are told your condition is all in your head (as in Agent Orange, Gulf War syndrome and a few others) and not complain then maybe and only maybe will I join in on their socialistic for of medicine until then I will continue to fight the loss of my country, my rights and my freedoms.

If it is proper that a Central Authority guarantee health care, why not the more immediate essentials for life, food and shelter; why not clothing? The underlying premise is a form of Communism, where the Collective (Government) assumes the ultimate role for taking care of everyone. This is the absolute antithesis of the concept of the American Free Society. It is part and parcel of a utilitarian life view that underpinned the great Socialized Societies, which we defeated in World War II and in the Cold War.

Who or what gives the government the right to rob me and take my earnings and give them to someone else? Just because someone has more then someone else and you feel is is immoral for them to keep it; it is just as immoral to commit the theft needed to take it off of them.

Which one of the Bill of Rights guaranteed Health care again ?? Not a history major...

You have the rights to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. That's all. Observe that all legitimate rights have one thing in common: they are rights to action, not rewards from other people. The American rights impose no obligations on other people, merely the negative obligation to leave you alone.

The healthcare reform bill released by the House Of Representatives is an excellent bill as I understand it. It's a bill with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people. It is carefully written, and thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise. This bill will save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives. It is also now supported by the AMA.

This is the type of bill that all Americans can feel good about. And this is the type of bill that has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans. Rich, middle class and poor a like. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other party affiliations. This bill has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American.

The house healthcare bill should be viewed as the minimum GOLD STANDARD by which all other proposed healthcare legislation should be judged. All supporters of true high quality healthcare reform should now place all your support behind this healthcare reform bill released by the United States House Of Representatives, as the minimum Gold standard for healthcare reform in America.

You should all now support this bill with all your might, and all of your unrelenting tenacity. This healthcare bill is a VERY, VERY GOOD! bill for all of the American people. Fight tooth, and nail for every bit of this bill if you have too. Be aggressive, creative, and relentless for this bill.

From this time forward, go BIGGER and DEEPER with the American people every day until passage of healthcare reform with a robust, government-run public option.

FIGHT!! like your life and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!

"72% of all people LIKE THE SYSTEM as it is currently. We have the best in the world. There is nothing broken! If you want to see broken, go to UK or Canada where after 59, they let you DIE!"

LOL spoken like someone who's never traveled and spends all of his time watching Fox News. Less than 72% of all Americans are covered by the current system; it is illogical that those without coverage would like that as it is.

As for "best in the world," how do you explain that our system yields the lowest life expectancies in the developed world - at the highest price?

Why it's the CEO of Aetna, BCBS, and the hundreds of other insurance companies, summarily rejecting the claims of the hundreds of thousands of it's insured.

CEO's whose only concern is for the big roller stockholders in it's company. (Not the average joe stockholders by the way, because the average joe is the insurance companies customers. You know the ones they're ripping off.)

Please, come up with some new bullet points, these are becoming pretty stale.

Hello! With Universal Health Care you and your employer don't have to pay that $4,000 + for yourself and up to 15,000 + that both you and your employer pay.

No more out of pocket co-pays!

Personally, I've been to Canada. I've seen the people there. They all seem to be pretty healthy to me.

You know what? I understand that if they feel sick, they immediately go to a doctor and receive the care they need. All the Canadian citizens have that privilege. Every one of them! Imagine that!

In the United States when someone becomes ill who doesn't have insurance, they hope that the illness simply goes away. Guess what? It doesn't!

Weeks pass, and finally, an ambulance carts them to the hospital, (on our dime) puts them in a room for weeks, (again on our dime) and then eventually they are discharged until the process happens all over again. (once again on our dime)

If it had been taken care of when the symptoms initially occurred, it probably would have only cost us a couple hundred dollars instead of the tens of thousands that it did cost. (on our thousands of dimes)

When you take into consideration the money paid by employers and employees for Employees Health Insurance, Worker's Compensation, Medicaid, Medicare, Long Term and Short Term Disability Insurance and the myriad of other health insurance coverages, WHERE DO YOU THINK THIS MONEY COMES FROM?

In fact the Insurance Companies have us by the "short-ones" with all this garbage!

And if you don't have all this coverage, it will only take one debilitating illness in your family for you to become one of the 50% of people filing for bankruptcy due to the costs of a debilitating illness.

Healthcare will fix the economy? Give me a Break! This is all about control. Read it? Thought not!
Put Obama and company on it first and let us know how that works out!
As for fixing the economy, I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night!
This guy is destroying this country at a record rate and telling us all is OK.
I wouldn't trust this guy any further than I can throw the horse he rode in on. If he want's us to trust him, here's a suggestion; Release his birth certificate to be authenticated, plus his passport history and school records. Once they've been appropriately investigated we'll be ready for the next step; Get Pelosi, Kennnedy, Frank, Dodd and Rangle out of the housing mess. You can't put out a fire by throwing gassoline on it! Then come back and propose bills that everybody's read including him (remember his promise not to sign any bill until he's read it) and give the public time to read it, too.
No more "EMERGENCY LEGISLATION" designed to rush it through before the people and their representatives examine them.
That's CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN!

Why is it, that every time something comes up like....health care reform, stimulus...ect....there is always the same ol' speech..."Gotta act fast, do it now, speed speed speed that's the key"
It seems as though this admin. is running full speed ahead and really has not stoped to look around.
Like the man said in Jurasic Park....."They were so pre-occupied with weather or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should".

Well, limousine liberals and MSM "elites", you had your fun... and probably almost broke your arm patting yourself on the back when you got the Dear Leader elected.

Now you are getting the taxes you deserve, as Barack Obama is going to BLEED YOU DRY. And you can forget writing off your local taxes on your overpriced eastcoast/leftcoast home... you’ll be paying more on that, too.

And here’s the kicker: you’ll be sending alot of that money to people in red states... to people whom you can’t stand.

New Yorkers, Californians, residents of the Northeast and the D.C. Corridor, you elected Obama… so step-up and pay those absurd taxes without complaining. You wanted bigger government.. so try THIS on for size.

Those who live in places with more rational state tax structures like Texas and Nevada will welcome you when you want to move there... well not really, LOL.

So head-out first-thing Monday morning and jump in your Prius with the "Change" bumper-sticker on the back and GET TO WORK...

No one can afford health care anymore, whether they are insured or not. Deductible are rising too fast and drugs are too expensive. Even Medicare & Medicaid are prohibited from using their market leverage to negotiate lower costs of drugs. Who can choose their doctor now? The insurance companies decide which doctors we must see. We need health care reform now.

The House Health Care Bill, 1,018-page document, released this week (July 14th, 2009) reveals some concerns as noted by http://www.healthinsurancetexas.biz and http://www.selecthealth.biz Mike Oliphant serves as health care consultant with these two popular websites in Utah. He also is a serving board member with Utah Association of Health Underwriters. A provision within this bill would indeed outlaw individual private coverage. Under the Orwellian header of "Protecting The Choice To Keep Current Coverage," the "Limitation On New Enrollment" section of the bill clearly states:

"Except as provided in this paragraph, the individual health insurance issuer offering such coverage does not enroll any individual in such coverage if the first effective date of coverage is on or after the first day" of the year the legislation becomes law.
This translates into those who currently have private individual coverage won't be able to change it. It is likely that those same people will suffer abnormally high rate increases over time which would force them out of coverage. Nor will those who leave a company to work for themselves be free to buy individual plans from private carriers.
From the beginning, www.benefitsmanager.net and www.dentalinsuranceutah.net warned that if the government gets into the business of offering subsidized health insurance coverage, the private insurance market will wither. Drawn by a public option that will be 30% to 40% cheaper than their current premiums because taxpayers will be funding it, employers will gladly scrap their private plans and go with Washington's coverage. The nonpartisan Lewin Group estimated in April that 120 million or more Americans could lose their group coverage at work and end up in such a program. That would leave private carriers with 50 million or fewer customers. This could cause the market to, as Lewin Vice President John Sheils put it, "fizzle out altogether."
What wasn't known until now is that the bill itself will kill the market for private individual coverage by not letting any new policies be written after the public option becomes law. The legislation is also likely to finish off health savings accounts, a goal that Democrats have had for years. They want to crush that alternative because nothing gives individuals more control over their medical care, and the government less, than HSAs. With HSAs out of the way, a key obstacle to the left's expansion of the welfare state will be removed.http://www.SelectHealth.biz states that the public option won't be an option for many, but rather a mandate for buying government care. A free people should be outraged at this advance of soft tyranny. Washington does not have the constitutional or moral authority to outlaw private markets in which parties voluntarily participate. It shouldn't be killing business opportunities, or limiting choices, or legislating major changes in Americans' lives.

I pay 400 dollars a month for health insurance I can't afford to use because of high co-pays and deductibles. Even so, they pick and choose what is covered at their discretion. In September I will be forced to drop it. This system is finished. Anyone who thinks we have the best care in the world is either rich or a complete fool.
Even worse are the liars who work for the health industry and post here to keep their monopoly on people's misery.

Just like the bogus stimulus that has done nothing to help and created not one job?

How much longer are you frogs in the pot going to put up with this lying dictator leading us to global totalitarian fascism?

Health care reform is important to CONTROLLING WHO LIVES OR DIES, not the economy. The economy has nothing to do with it. It's about Obama's pledge to form the 'world order' of the global elitists who want to reduce you, tax you and control you.

72% of all people LIKE THE SYSTEM as it is currently. We have the best in the world. There is nothing broken! If you want to see broken, go to UK or Canada where after 59, they let you DIE!

The Republic is falling and half of you are asleep. When are you going to wake up and realize that a Republican (Kissinger) gave Obama his first job? This is not about the two party system, there isn't one! It's about us and them. And half of you are clueless.

The other half of us are preparing....quietly getting ready to brace for freedom.

The reason we have not heard about Obama's war is this has NOTHING to do with 'republicans and democrats'. His foreign policy is just the same as before..

Jack Smith, you are a lamb to the slaughter. You have been duped. WAKE UP PEOPLE -- is liberty no longer so dear that you are willing to throw it away like this????

WAKE UP YOU STUPID PEOPLE!

Where is our military when we need them to defend us from this communism and enemy within?

NICE! Spoken like a true facist. Unfortunately for you this country is a DEMOCRACY (Just ask Rooster54 - ok, that was tongue in cheek, we're a Republic). My opinion matters because I'm an American and this is just as much my country as yours and Dear Leader's.

Q: Why does Maddogg keep asking questions that he (or she) gets to frame with his (or her) own skewed views laden in the question AND the answer?

A: Because when one asks a question with intellectual honesty, he (or she) is looking to grow and learn. My own linear thought process takes me to the conclusion that maybe Maddogg is not intellectual or honest. Just sayin'....

Q: Why does Maddogg keep asking questions that he (or she) frames with his (or her) own skewed views ladden in the question AND the answer?

A: Because when one asks a question with intellectual honesty, he (or she) is looking to grow and learn. My own linear thought process takes me to the conclusion that maybe Maddogg is not intellectual or honest. Just sayin'....

Q - Why did Russia collapse and is the US following in their footsteps?

A - The Old Soviet Union collapsed because their territory became to big to control. Cracks began to appear. This is similar to the current US position in Afghanistan and Iraq. We are losing and it will hurt the US in the long run. We simply cannot afford to control the world like Russia tried to.

Vote "NO" Congress on this half-baked scheme. You have undermined our economy - we are watching - and WILL VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

Obama only wants the "BEST CARE" for his family. We know about the Hastings Center and know that he wants elderly and sick American's to DIE AND DIE QUICKLY. NO END-OF-LIFE care - except for Hospice, who will deny food and water for a hasty demise.

Q - Why does an 8% tax on employers who do not offer insurance keep prices low uner the Obama plan.

A - It will keep insurance costs down for those companies that do provide insurance to their employee's thereby keeping those goods and services lower in price. It will also help to keep personal deductibles and co-pays lower.

In short the 8% sur tax will prevent the consumer from paying 20% higher expenses later on.

why does a MRI test cost 1500 dollars does it use that much power. why does a blood test cost 300 dollars. why cant anyone find a way to lessen the cost of these things rather then say no. if a mri cost ten million dollars couldn't anyone find a cheaper way to manufacture one. if the cost of the test and hardware came down the cost would also its not the insurance company's its the cost the way to cheaper healthcare inst by running insurance co its finding the root of the high cost what obama is doing is just changing the word no for the test you need, from the privet health care insurance to government run insurance what difference does it make who says no to your needs

I want to hear BOTH sides of the story. Obama is out there pushing his plan. Why not hear what private insurers have to say? They know more about healthcare than Obama. Listen for a change and put down the Koolaid.

It is not fair our insurance money is wasted by the private run health insurance companies, spending on advertise against government run health insurance. The congress must take steps to stop them spending millions of our money for advertising against the government run health care proposal. They are taking money from the people and working against them. People please wake up.

It is not fair our insurance money is wasted by the private run health insurance companies, spending on advertise against government run health insurance. The congress must take steps to stop them spending millions of our money for advertising against the government run health care proposal. They are taking money from the people and working against them. People please wake up.

ive payed all my life to social security run by the government guaranteed that when i turned 65 years old i could retire that was the promise so when i turned 15 years old they changed the promise it changed to 67 years old when i was 25 they changed it to 72 years old and now i may never see a dime of the money i spent putting in since a was 16 years old the borrowed out of ssi the same for medicare mishandled for years i been to the va hospitals a disaster that's pale in comparison to taking over the health care for the entire country what this is its a way for the government to get there hands on money so they can follow the traditions of broken promises and feed the government beast with cash the it used to work for us now we are becoming its slaves i say cut the head off the beast

Don't envy me. I am a public servant (not the kind of public servant that makes $174,000/year like congress). You envy those who have more than you. I think you are pathetic and unfortunately you and your ilk are ruining this country. Unfortunately, it is my honor to defend leeches like you...

Forcing Employers to pay an 8% Penalty om payroll will make products and services COST MORE.

Q - How long will this economic downturn last?

A - You need to ask the Republicans. They have the answers but no solutions.

Passing health care reform with the public option will speed the recovery becuase of the influx of new money and by creating jobs in the medical and related industries. Health care reform will also contribute to lower cost of most goods and services in all industires.

Health care is win-win unless you are an overpaid insurance company executive.

Thats interesting . When did you read the plan? Which plan are you referring to ? The original Obama plan from the campaign that was to be financed through savings made by computerizing health records? That plan?

Q - What is your profession?

A - I'm a retired insurance company executive that knows the ins & outs of one of the greatest scams in America...health insurance. That's how I know Obama's plan is superior to anything in the private sector.

More soldiers died in Afghanistan last month than any month since 2001. Where are the photos of soldiers coffins? Where is the Obama Exit Plan? Ever since Bush left office we have not heard one word on those issues.

Actually the GOP proposal for the stimulus made by Mitch McConnell in January would have boosted this economy already. I bet you don't even know what it was. Dems rejected it. Let me refresh your memory. Subsidizing mortgage rates at 4% temporarily for everyone. Refinanced mortgages would give the average America FAR more than the $13.00 a week Obama gave. Home prices would finally stablize and probably increase thereby helping banks who are holding mortgages on homes worth less than the amount owed. Foreclosures would be going down instead of up. This economy would be booming.

Q - Have Republicans ever offered solutions?

A - No! The Republicans, from 1980 on, main contribution to America have been deficits, debt, illegal aliens, and wars that never end.

Obama is trying to end the catastrophe in Afghanistan and bring our budget under control. This will indirectly save the American consumer billions. Money he'll save for American's is better than a tax cut.

A - I'm a retired insurance company executive that knows the ins & outs of one of the greatest scams in America...health insurance. That's how I know Obama's plan is superior to anything in the private sector.

A - No! The Republicans, from 1980 on, main contribution to America have been deficits, debt, illegal aliens, and wars that never end.

Obama is trying to end the catastrophe in Afghanistan and bring our budget under control. This will indirectly save the American consumer billions. Money he'll save for American's is better than a tax cut.

Wah... Obama's a lawyer, not a doctor. Wah.... but, but, but Rasmussen. Wah... he's a Kenyan socialist. It's not surprising that all these whiners in the party of "no" have nothing offer except "I've got mine" & "Get a real job." They're selfish and devoid of any new ideas.

Tax money can pay for moon walking and it can pay for war making but it can't be used for taking care of American citizens.
Time to tell the insurance and drug monopolies we've had enough of their lies

A - Yes! What the Republicans are trying to hide in health care reform is all of the jobs that will be created. New jobs and well paying ones.

The Republicans want health care reform to fail so they will have an "unemployment issue" to run on in 2010. Republicans though have no plan for increasing employment. Only Obama has plans to place people back to work.

There are problems with health care, but these bills do nothing to improve the situation. Doctors used to be able to have a private practice after medical school, but the cost of malpractice insurance has gotten so high that doctors are forced to work for larger organizations, for the most part, now. This means people are no longer paying those affordable private doctor rates, they are paying the $75 an aspirin rate of the larger organizations. Why has malpractice insurance gotten so high? Because there has been a prolonged period of lawsuits brought about by lawyers seeking easy money, and big paydays. For their part, the doctors opened themselves up to these lawsuits in part by trying to see too many patients in one day, on the private practice side, and being forced to see too many patients every day on the hospital side. Being rushed when dealing with an organism as complex as the human body causes mistakes to be made, and lawyers hover like hungry vultures to sue, thereby driving the cost of health care through the roof. Does Obama's plan address any of this? No. He is a lawyer, not a doctor, and has never worked in a hospital, or a clinic, or in private practice, or in the field. His answer to all of our problems is to throw money at the problem, raise taxes, and hope that the problem goes away. The stimulus package was equally thoughtless- Obama allowed congress to draft what was, essentially, a huge pork barrel spending bill that did not directly address any of the underlying causes of the American economies woes. Stricter standards of health delivery, with oversight, and tort reform are where we should begin to address the long term cost increases in health care delivery, and both of these are free.

Wow, that drug and insurance money sure is going full blast, throwing sand in the eyes of the American public to blind them to the truth.
Insurance and drug companies are parasites on the middle class and poor as well as a burden on the economy. Insurance companies work to prevent paying and drug companies work to create junkies for their "cures".
We need a system for the timely treatment and prevention of disease not denial of claims for profit.
Prevention is always better than the cost of the "cure" unless you are in the business of selling the cure.
Then it's life to the highest bidder.

A - Yes, but only worse in the sense that the US is being kicked out of Iraq by the very people we claimed we were saving. In short the Iraqi people are kicking the US out because we chose not leave. Sadly, the Iraq war in particular has drained money away from health care.....there are many more casualties to the Bush blunder than just those on the battlefield.

Barry is sinking under the weight of his own Radical Socialist Arrogance.
Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 28% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-six percent (36%) Strongly
Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8.

According to the 25th chapter of Matthew, we liberals are guaranteed a place in heaven for supporting single payer and other measures that heal and comfort the sick. Isn't that wonderful? God is so good.

obma keeps saying that small business is important to the economy, yet with cap and tax, the health care take over bill, and his draconian tax the rich bills, are killing businesses, the government is taking 36 percent less in taxes with the economy because unemployed and closed business cant pay taxes poor people don't hire don't pay taxes the other thing is cutting a doctors fees or putting limits on what he can do is great for obma but if your the one on the table do you want a doctor that is unhappy and needs to cut cost so instead of a top of the line pacemaker hes going to give you a government approved, Chinese pacemaker with lead paint on it in you, just kidding your pet will get better care then you and single payer you need to be taken to a rubber room for going that way

Obama and the *coughcommunistscough*; sorry, Democrats gained power by exploiting people's ignorance and/or stupidity. He wants to tax the rich substantially to help the poor. What we don't realize is that, as someone below said, the rich pay most of the taxes as it is!! What happens when "5% of the people control 95% of the wealth" (Adil Hoxha, "The Crepes of Wrath", The Simpsons Season 1)? They pay 95% of the taxes!

My firm belief is that Obama is trying to socialize the economy and evenly distribute the wealth to everyone. Let's take a moment to remember who has had this idea before...

You need to educate yourself on how our economy works. You need to stop listening to liberal media and just read economic books.

Posted by: matthewslocum | July 18, 2009 6:46 PM

matthewslocum-
How can commercial media be liberal? They can't survive without money from executive advertisers for major corporations. Also, if the wealthy can pay 95% of our taxes, how did they get so much? The following graph is worth looking at.

Coverge of events by non-commercial democracynow.org is much better documented with reliable data than any of the talking points of corporate media. I used to be under the right wing spell, and I listened to "democracynow" just to mock them. Turns out they were right. Time has proven this over and over again.

This is a pig in a poke. Neither President Obama nor Speaker Pelosi has addressed the burning question on the minds of many Americans - what does this healthcare reform legislation mean to ME?

Other than vague promises that medical care will be improved and costs lowered under this plan, nothing substantive has been revealed. Perhaps that is because it is still a work in progress, i.e. they don't even know what it will look like.

I have a sneaky suspicion that nothing is going to change except to provide coverage to Americans who do not now have insurance and coverage to the millions of illegal aliens outside of the insurance pool. If that is the plan, tell us, but don't promise the rest of us something that is not in the program.

Max Keiser: "Goldman Sachs Are Scumhttp://zerohedge.blogspot.com/2009/07/max-keiser-goldman-sachs-are-scum.html"
Posted by Tyler Durden at 3:41 PM
"They are literally stealing a hundred million dollars a day. Goldman Sachs is stealing every day on the floor of the exchange. They should be in the Hague, they should be taken on financial terrorism charges. They should all be thrown in jail"

How is health-care reform (a euphemism for a socialist program) going to fix the economy? Why do you think Obama is pushing so hard to get it passed? He doesn't want anyone to have enough time to consider its details and implications, because he knows if they have time, there's no way it will pass. He already renegged on a campaign promise that no one would be taxed at a greater rate than in the 1990's. Anyone who believes that his health-care tax is going to stop at the "rich" (whoever they are) is naive and gullible. The largest debt in world history -- and he just doesn't get it!!

The most red alert thing that should come to anyone's mind after reading these comments by Obama is that he said the same exact thing about the stimulus bill. He said our economy would go down quickly if we did not pass the stimulus bill. Look what happened after the stimulus bill? Our economy sank even faster. We are in the deepest unemployment since Carter. And it's getting deeper.
Now, he says if we don't pass this healthcare bill, we will hurt our economy even more.
He uses scare tactics, my folks. He knows that the majority of his followers are the poor, and the rich who have earned their money quickly and feel bad about how they did this. He knows these people live on fear. And he uses fear to get his way.

Rich are rich because they work hard and have utilized the American dream--hard work.
And without the rich, we would not be America. The rich pay %95 of the taxes. The rich keep every state running. Except those states like New York and California who have out taxed the rich and the rich get smart and leave. Now those states are bankrupt because of HIGH taxes and the rich leaving and no taxes being paid into the state.

Those of you here who think the rich owe the middle and poor class are ignorant and have no education of what makes this country run. That is thanks to public education 101 for dumming you down.

You need to educate yourself on how our economy works. You need to stop listening to liberal media and just read economic books.

How am I smarter than a president of the country?
His three main areas of concern, are easily fixed.
Companies who cannot afford to pay insurance drop that benefit to their employees. Their employees will get a higher salary, and they can look for private insurance on their own. Insurance agents all across america help individuals find coverage they can afford to pay monthly.
Secondly, medicaid and medicare are the government run healthcare and they are bankrupt. So why would Obama want to add to that burden by adding more people to it? What a stupid.
Just wean more people off medicaid and medicare by making qualifications stricter. And then steer them to the private insurance companies all across america with tons of plans that are affordable.
Third, those with no insurance have the freedom to have no insurance. If they choose to, they can get just catastrophic insurance for $200 a month for a family of 5. It's out there. They either don't care or want to pay out of pocket.
I like the idea of all citizens having to have proof of insurance. Just like we do with car insurance. Why not work that route instead of adding a government option.

If they just got rid of the government option, it would be a ton better.
We don't need millions, billions sinking into the black hole like we do with medicaid and medicare already.

And any doctor will tell you that medicaid and medicare mandate to the doctor what they can charge.
What if all grocery stores or any business had that same mandate? That would be considered robbery. It would not even be acceptible. Why do we think we can mandate prices of what a doctor does? Let them choose their prices according to demand and supply. This is robbery of America.

Do we vote it unconstitutional and then in the nite escort Obama out on a flight to Costa Rica like Honduras did with their dictator Zelaya? I like that idea more and more.

A - You need to ask the Republicans. They have the answers but no solutions.

Passing health care reform with the public option will speed the recovery becuase of the influx of new money and by creating jobs in the medical and related industries. Health care reform will also contribute to lower cost of most goods and services in all industires.

Health care is win-win unless you are an overpaid insurance company executive.

"That fast-increasing cost of health insurance is crippling businesses, which are finding it difficult to afford to provide coverage. It is also placing a difficult burden on state and federal governments, who find increasing shares of their budgets consumed by Medicaid and Medicare costs. In addition, individuals who lack coverage frequently find themselves at risk of being thrown deep into debt by just one medical emergency."

Companies are NOT obligated to insure their employees. It is an added benefit. Let me remind you, it is an added benefit. If a company does not see it affordable to have as an added benefit than they put that at the table when interviewing employees.
Secondly, Obama stated that those not insured find it hard to pay for medical emergencies.
Well, I have two examples for that.
My family has purchased our own self insurance. We found an insurance agent who found us affordable insurance. We have three children and pay $400 a month for insurance.
My friend has just catasrtophic insurance and pays $200 a month.

The poor in our country don't need to pay for insurance. They have Medicare and Medicaid. But if we redefine "poor" , a percent of those on welfare could be exported off it and medicaid and then they still would be able to afford the $200 a month for insurance.

The healthcare reform bill released by the House Of Representatives is an excellent bill as I understand it. It's a bill with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people. It is carefully written, and thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise. This bill will save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives. It is also now supported by the AMA.

This is the type of bill that all Americans can feel good about. And this is the type of bill that has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans. Rich, middle class and poor a like. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other party affiliations. This bill has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American.

The house healthcare bill should be viewed as the minimum GOLD STANDARD by which all other proposed healthcare legislation should be judged. All supporters of true high quality healthcare reform should now place all your support behind this healthcare reform bill released by the United States House Of Representatives, as the minimum Gold standard for healthcare reform in America.

You should all now support this bill with all your might, and all of your unrelenting tenacity. This healthcare bill is a VERY, VERY GOOD! bill for all of the American people. Fight tooth, and nail for every bit of this bill if you have too. Be aggressive, creative, and relentless for this bill.

From this time forward, go BIGGER and DEEPER with the American people every day until passage of healthcare reform with a robust, government-run public option.

FIGHT!! like your life and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!

It should also be noted that Ron Wyden's "Free Choice Proposal" in the senate is a highly intriguing proposal and possibly a brilliant idea. And an Idea that should be strongly looked into as a way of increasing consumer choice, and consumer access to a government-run public option.

Many of the rich may have gotten that way by being smart and industrious, but they have all gotten that way by benefitting themselves with other people's work. All rich owe something to other people's work. Also, their money is a worthless abstraction if others refuse to give them anything for it.

In other words, the rich need us more than we need them.

For the most part, they've taken far more than their fair share for the last thirty years. Paying taxes from their excess, to provide basic necessities to others is the least they can do.

Many rich people will fall someday. It's in their best interest to return some of what they've taken so the bottom won't be so bad.

It seems a lot of you don't like Obama's health care plan. The alternative to some form of universal health insurance is uninsured people by the masses continuing to commit the crime of getting sick. Uninsured people get sick more readily than insured people because they are not going to the local clinic for regular check-ups. Is this not evident to you?

People who are uninsured and get sick go to the E.R., the most expensive form of health care in the U.S. The crime of getting sick occurs whether we like it or not. Uninsured people can't walk out of an E.R. for less than $1,000. Under most circumstances, they can't pay for the bill, and so the hospital pays for it, driving up the cost of health care. It all happens one brick at a time. So a universal health insurance system will in fact decrease the overall price of health care and, in turn, health insurance premiums. The way we are doing it now is, in fact, socialistic. Not to mention that many people die because of lack of health coverage, a toll that is far greater and deeper than any political belief. We cannot continue on the private insurance track because private insurance does not cover people who are sick, people who are disabled and people whose chronic illnesses drive the insurance costs.

Secondly, your precious Bush passed a health care bill on Medicare for $960,000,000. This plan only covers one part of health care (prescriptions) for one faction of the U.S. population (senior citizens not privately insured). For only 240,000,000 more, Obama proposes health care for EVERYONE. Socialist or not, we have to stop kicking ourselves in the rumpus. The health care industry is out of control and causing an anihilation to the middle class. It also is calling for the abolishment of people with chronic medical issues to ever participate in the American Dream.

Obama's taxes on the greedy-entitled-welfare-queen-mendacious-cry-baby-"I-expect everybody else to take care of me because I have money"-rich, will actually be lower than the taxes Reagan left them with.

As Obama demonizes the health insurance industry and rails against waste and dishonesty, remember that his wife was employed by the University of Chicago Hospital for 6-7 years. Her tenure in "community affairs" began when her husband was elected to the State Senate and ended just before the move to the White House. The position, which seems to have been created specifically for Mrs. Obama, paid over $310,000 a year. Not chump change.

According to the 25th chapter of Matthew, we liberals are guaranteed a place in heaven for supporting single payer and other measures that heal and comfort the sick. Isn't that wonderful? God is so good.

So all you supporters of this "healthcare overhaul" probably think it's going to be as effective and oh-so historical as Obama's jobber of an economic recovery plan....I can hardly wait...remeber, this is the same government that's done such a stellar job with our Social Security, and besides, why should your neighbor be made pay for YOUR crappy lifestyle choices? I bet Michael Moore and Teddy Kennedy won't be standing in line at some government day clinic.

"This is an issue that affects the health and financial well-being of every single American and the stability of our entire economy,"

Well so does having a job along with an economy that's working. That is the #1 issue, the economy. What are you doing about that? And if the economy were better, more people would have jobs with insurance, companies could afford to offer better plans, and the tax revenues would begin to lower the deficit (which by the way Mr. President, you increased to 1 trillion dollars). So why don't you fix the economy? You don't know how, or you have no intention of doing so? Which is it?

Congratulations, sounds like a lot of you are finally getting it! In the eyes of our elected politicians, we are nothing more than servants. We work, they take our money and spend it on things they think will insure their reelection. Our mission now is to show them they guessed wrong. Anyone that votes for this Marxist garbage should be forced to find a real job. Throw their sorry butts to the curb!!

The US Government has already failed twice. Medicare has huge gaps in coverage with high co-pays and monthly premiums. Medicaid pays so little that few medical providers will accept it - so good coverage but no access to care.

Whatever the Obama public option may be it should be madatory for all Federal Employees and Congress.

Let Ted Kennedy get the same health care as average Americans, instead of mandating health care limits for us and not for him. We all want Duke!

I just got my mother's medicare reimbursement form. The Government paid the doctor 10 cents on the dollar. For all of you big shots who wonder why healthcare costs so much, well, when the government only pays ten cents on the dollar, where is the rest of the money going to come from?

It's one thing to tax people, another to deny them 90% of the money for usual and customary care.

I see physicians and hospitals standing up and saying, "No" to national health insurance. Of course, these whiney people are ahppy to receive 10% care, will keep complaining, just like the donut hole in Medicare Part D.

For the person who is paying $300 per month, with a $5,000 deductible, I suggest that they shop around or join a cooperative of businesses in obtaining group coverage. I pay $200 a month and have a $200 deductible.

Obambi-care premiums will be just as expensive with substandard or limited care, due to the reimbursement policy or no service because a physician or hospital refuses to take the National Health Care Plan.

Look at NYC, BOS, LAX or SFO. They are B-R-O-K-E. Look at the big push on the Today sjhow, the roadshows filled with shills and so forth.

Obambi-care will do the same thing on a national scale.

The people making the noise are LOSERS who keep wanting "something for nothing" and have no ambition or pride.

Just because you're to lazy to get a REAL Job, move to where the work is or are having a great time on funemployment, receiving extended benefits.

If Congress was smart, they'd remove the tax liability for those receiving unemployment compensation.

I have a unique perspective of government run healthcare in the US for you.

My father and Step Father both served in the Marine Corps, two of my uncles in the Army, one in the Navy, myself and quite a few in my generation have served in the Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force. All of us have had the benefit of Us Government run hospitals and VA (remember the liberal news reports on how shabby the VA hospitals are? The despicable and deplorable conditions of Walter Reed?) These are the types of programs you will see If we allow the Socialistic Obama and his cronies to win the health care BS. I would rather go to a veterinarian than the VA.

If this socialistic pogrom is so GOOD, why is the Congress and Senate Exempt from using it?

More do as I say not as I do... That is why the Founding Fathers started a Revolution.

Barry is sinking under the weight of his own Radical Socialist Arrogance.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Saturday shows that 28% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-six percent (36%) Strongly
Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8.

This health care bill has nothing to do with liking or disliking Obama. This health care bill will ruin the best health care system in the world, reduce health care--especially for seniors, will not cover millions of people, will penalize small business and individual taxpayers and will finally evolve into a health care program totally under the control of US Government. If you think Social Security, Highway Trust Fund, US Post Office, Medicare and Medicaid have been run well than this program is for you--I say that is jest. You must contact your Congress people (unless it is Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Leahy and a few others for they will vote money for any liberal cause even when it causes our bankruptcy) and tell them to just vote NO.

jalehw:
"I pay $300/month and have a $5000 deductible. I have not been to a doctor in three years...Something has got to give. The system is not working."

Does it not bother you that you have not been to a Dr in 3 yrs? How do you know if something could be wrong that is slowly shortening your life? At least go for an annual physical. Otherwise, why pay the insurance if you are not going to go to the doctor?

46 million divided by a $2 Trillion downpayment equals...lots of someone else's money.

And if we spend $2 Trillion as a start for 46 million now, how much more will American tax payers be forced to spend after the Democrats grant amnesty to 130 million illegals and their extended family members? Roughly $6 Trillion for starters? The, the number will grow again.

Of course, those are only CBO estimates and likely very much underestimated.

Obama says health-care reform is essential to repairing U.S. society. As consulted by his Democrat advisers, Obama has also talked about the American dream.

Look at Obama, he worked hard academically and succeeded in his political career. As U.S. President he expressed his appreciation for the opportunity to achieve the American dream. Icing on the cake is that Obama is also valued as a role model for U.S. African Americans.

Now that Obama is at the top the U.S. political pyramid, he contradicts the American dream. You work hard and earn a high salary or succeed in your business profits and prosper financially and then the government takes your money by taxing the top earners to pay for government benefit programs.

Obama is doing social reform by skimming the top and raising the bottom but whacked out of proportion by taking away the incentives of those who work hard and creating a welfare state where the government provides equally well for those who do not want to work or are not able to work due to individual disabilities. Obama is making a mockery of the American dream.

As I read stories across the web and see the various comments, one stands out in particular. A commenter on this site said that abortion was a gift from God. Really? Well I have another take. I believe that the rise of Obama is, in fact, a test from God. We have taken prayer out of schools, are trying to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, we kill the unborn and worship homosexuals. This country became the most powerful force on the planet in less than two hundred years. Countries that have been around forever are still poor, their people still live in huts and they travel by donkey. If I were the man above, I would look down with scorn and give the ungrateful US something to ponder. I would send down someone whose only care is power and corruption. He would not be a God fearing man, nor even a true believer. I would empower him to take apart the US piece by piece in hopes that those who have been so greatly blessed would see the error of their ways in time to stop the destruction. Well folks, that man is here! Be afraid, be very afraid!!

Private health insurers are making a BIG business mistake if they lobby enough to kill reform, like they did the Clinton effort. They need to take the long view, and ditch the short-run Wall Street profit approach. Universal coverage without bizarre exclusions is the goal. What we have now is an unworkable patchwork of private insurance that excludes coverage of cancer or birth, government insurance that squeezes doctors, and nothing at all for 50 million. To you private insurers out there: Let's work with the President this time to do what's right for America.

It is high time we pass the healthcare reform.Ofcourse there should be some TORT reform.As aphysician for 37 years i see toomany sales people with brief cases try to sell all kinds of articles to hospital which may not save lives.

Sir you are one uniformed individual and not the brightest tool in the shed.

George W. Bush bankrupted 5 companies before becoming the governor of TX. He made his fortune stealing taxpayer dollars through a baseball team and cheating the IRS by lying on his tax forms when he sold it.

And by the way, he got the money to start those 5 companies from the bin Laden family through a friend of his who was with him when he went AWOL to aviod going to Vietnam.

A loser and a coward, a perfect republican. Kinda like Palin, except her cahones are bigger.

President Obama is trying to put in a system that covers the rest of Americans and eliminates the arbitrary denials that private insurance bureaucrats routinely dish out. About 100 million have government-run healthcare or insurance now, via VA, Medicare, Medicaid, Champis etc. Another 150 million have private insurance, much of it mickey mouse plans with wildly high deductibles, bizarre exclusions, etc. And 50 million have nothing. Obama's plan is basically aimed at getting the rest of Americans covered by making insurance more affordable. Unfortunately for us, the Wall Street insurers seem to have enough clout to kill this stab at reform, much as they buried the Clinton's effort. You'd have thought Wall Street would have learned. However, from a business point of view, the insurers would be much wiser to take the long view instead of the short-run quarterly profit view of reform. If their current stingy coverage practices continue, Americans at some point will demand a government-paid insurance system, eliminating the private carriers. Smarten up private insurers. You are playing with fire if you kill universal coverage.

Sir you are one uniformed individual and not the brightest tool in the shed.

George W. Bush bankrupted 5 companies before becoming the governor of TX. He made his fortune stealing taxpayer dollars through a baseball team and cheating the IRS by lying on his tax forms when he sold it.

And by the way, he got the money to start those 5 companies from the bin Laden family through a friend of his who was with him when he went AWOL to aviod going to Vietnam.

A loser and a coward, a perfect republican. Kinda like Palin, except her cahones are bigger.

Health care is a basic human right; however, the insurance industry and its lapdog the GOP doesn't want their gravy train to end. They want to keep ripping off Americans while our Senators and Congressional Representatives never have to worry about their health care.

The insurance industry and the GOP will lie and try to scare Americans to continue the status quo and let the average American struggle and worry.

However, America spoke when it voted for Obama -- health care needs to change in this country now.

Even that very, very conservative country Switzerland has national health care and proud of it.

America, a major industrialized nation and world power, stands alone without a national health care system.

For shame!

Jesus admonished us in his parable about the good Samaritan that we should be merciful to others and help others, not be more concerned about how much money we keep in our own pockets.

However, the GOP and insurance industry values money more.

I guess the GOP, the self-proclaimed party of family values, morality, and Christianity forgot that we are our brother's/sister's keepers.

What this healthcare debate is proving is 1) many politicians are more interested in keeping a system of kickbacks and payoffs by medical industry lobbyists than they are in the health of the US ecomony and the well-being of its citizens; 2) that the Republican claims of supporting small business are a farse since these businesses are suffering the most from healthcare cost, but even major corporations are suffering and, in fact, a major reason for GM's problems was its massive burden from medical coverage for retired and current employees; and 3) that the system of lobbyist bribary and influence peddling is anti-American, corruptive and destroying the United States from within.

If you want to cover the cost of healthcare, it's easy: close all loopholes in the tax system allowing for offshore accounts that allow tax evaders, mostly the 1.5 percent Obama wants to raise taxes on. This tax evasion tactic of the rich denies the US of $350 billion per year. Over 10 years that's $3.5 trillion, more than the $1 trillion of over 10 years needed for healthcare and enough to provice full coverage for a very reasonable price.

Why is it that every civilized country in the world can do this but the US cannot? Stupidity or corruption?

Self employed people need a health care plan that provides the self employed with both a business deduction for health insurance premiums and a public option. Self employed individuals are not currently allowed to include the cost of their healthcare premiums as a business expense. They also have no leverage in establishing the price for the insurance. Corporations and bigger businesses can deduct the costs of health insurance and pay lower premiums because the purchase is considered group health insurance. The consequence of denying the self employed the business deduction on their business return is that the self employed have to pay self employment tax (over 15%) before they are allowed to take a deduction for health care premiums on their personal tax return. As a self employed individual I pay nearly $1,100 per month to cover just myself in an HMO. I have to pay self employment taxes on that money before I pay the premium. My monthly premium will go down by an amount equal to the self employment tax if my health insurance premium is treated as a business expense. It will also go down if there is a government option. Any health reform plan that permits the self employed to deduct health insurance premiums as a business expense and provides for a public option will be supported wholeheartedly by the self employed. Any politician who opposes such reform will be overwhelmingly voted out of office by self employed voters.

"He knows that the Democrats majority will disappear in the next election because of their actions on health care..."
------------------------------------------------
He (the president) also knows that over 70% of Americans want a public option and don't want to be exploited by the insurance companies any longer. He (the president) and "they" (politicians, mostly Republicans, in the pockets of the insurance companies) also know that, if a good health bill with a strong public option is passed, we can count on having Democratic administrations for the foreseeable future.

Collectively, insurance companies pay $1.5 million per day to make sure we don't get real health care reform (eg. single payer or public option). That's our premium money that was supposed to be sent to provide care, not to block it.

Out of 45 million uninsured, there are currently 8 million people without health insurance because they don't make enough money - the rest either don't want it, or don't want to spend the money on it - that's the bottom line. And to spend $2 trillion dollars for 8 million people is stupid and insane.
The President of the United States is LYING when he says we will have choice and we can keep our current insurance. Page 16 of the Health Care Act contains the provision making individual private medical insurance illegal.
The President of the United States' assertion that this bill must be passed before the USA implodes on itself is utter B.S. He does NOT want people taking the time to read the bill or understand it because there will be a full scale revolution if they did.
Those of you who assert that "we won" therefore the you losers don't count - think again. Obama won because he wasn't George Bush Republican - not because of his stance- because he didn't have one other than his ethereal "change" routine.

Obama's agenda has become more evident to more people so he's in a hurry to cram his socialist health care down our throats. He knows that the Democrats majority will disappear in the next election because of their actions on health care and the Tax and slash approach on energy.
Cuts in Medicare will be his death knell and shows how out of touch this president has become.
America cannot afford Obama.

I would rather see nationalized health care than the private joke it is now. Competition is a farce. Overcharging is the rule.

I would rather see the government take out the 200 bucks per check for my family than the 200 bucks they take out now for CIGNA.

Most Americans are totally convinced of the phony health care BS they hear everyday in the TV ads. I say scrap the whole works and start something new, even if we have to force the brainwashed and greedy to accept it!

It's time, Mr. President. Stand up to these people.

Posted by: expat2MEX | July 18, 2009 1:36 PM

Yes Mr. Messiah, stand-up to higher costs, longer lines, less options and higher taxes. Yes Mr. Messiah, stand-up for those who are here illegally and those who think that paying for new 400 rims is okay, but paying for your own child's healthcare ain't cool!

I would rather see nationalized health care than the private joke it is now. Competition is a farce. Overcharging is the rule.

I would rather see the government take out the 200 bucks per check for my family than the 200 bucks they take out now for CIGNA.

Most Americans are totally convinced of the phony health care BS they hear everyday in the TV ads. I say scrap the whole works and start something new, even if we have to force the brainwashed and greedy to accept it!

Greed, like gold, is where you find it. Corporations are greedy because they seek profits in return for taking risks, investing capital and providing jobs and pensions, but apparently it is not greedy for the terminally stupid to demand "free" health care at the expense of others. Morons who demand health care paid for by the "rich" have yet to explain the basis for such an entitlement. What entitles a sluggard who never did his homework or never paid attention in school to the fruits of my labor, sacrifice and expense? Maybe if these "entitled people" sacrificed a few beer parties and basketball games, as I did, they would be earning more.
One idiot on here has suggested that the House has voted on a "good" bill. Really? The Bill is based upon lies, and the so-called "good bill" lacks any explanation of how we are going to pay for it.
To further enlighten the morons on here: There is no such thing as "free" health care. Taxes on Corporations will result in layoffs. Costs will be covered by higher retail prices (thus passing on the tax to the terminally stupid.) "Mandatory" insurance will convert taxpayers into registered felons if they commit the crime of not buying Obama-nazi insurance because they frittered their money away on things like the mortgage payment or groceries.
Just what do you morons think the central government will do if you fail to pay the obama-nazi insurance premium? The Feds will use "IRS-style remedies" according to the "good bill" passed by the House. That means that the central government will freeze your bank accounts and seize your property to "purchase insurance". Parents who "fail" to buy insurance will face the real prospect of being prosecuted and convicted of "child neglect", and children WILL BE REMOVED FROM THE HOME.
THE SIMPLE-MINDED HAVE BEEN INFLAMED AND EXCITED OVER THE PROMISE OF "SOMETHING PAID FOR BY THE OTHER GUY". We are about to be sucker-punched just like the Germans were in the 1930's and the Russians before that. WAKE UP!!!!!!

The cost of providing healthcare to the currently uninsured is a fear-based exaggeration promoted by the insurance lobby (fraudulentlty paid for with your insurance premiums).

As it is right now, if an unisured person gets sick, he or she can't afford early treatment. When he or she then becomes critically ill, hospitals HAVE TO provide extensive treatment. This much higher cost is then passed on to you anyway. The person may also have become so seriously ill that they can no longer support themselves. That cost is passed on to you as well. So if we provide pro-active care up front IT'S CHEAPER and better!

Healthcare coverage was supposed to be a collective body of people agreeing in advance to share resources in case anyone becomes ill and needs help. This was supposed to be the function of insurance companies, but they chose to ripp off their clients and fatten their own wallets. This destroyed our competitive edge in the world markets. Fire them.

This is a democracy, founded by responsible people who cared about each other's well being. The majority of people want single payer. Therefor, anyone who opposes single payer is un-democratic, and by extension , un-American.

Obama promised that all Americans would receive the same quality of health care that he and members of Congress now receive. Really? These are more of the lies he delivers while blabbering daily on tv and bragging of his "accomplishments." Does anyone really believe that he and Congress will sign up for the public option that he is promoting or that they will begin to pay social security taxes any time soon? If one believes in this man, you must also believe in the tooth fairy. To be sure, Pelosi's frequent botox treatments are covered by her generous, taxpayer provided health coverage!

We must NOT rush this through. It is far too important ...and too expensive....an issue to pass a hastily thrown together bill just so the president can say he did something about healthcare. It's much easier to fix a bad bill BEFORE it's passed than after it becomes law. We have far too many laws now that have become nonsensical from so much tinkering to fix the flaws. Further, not only do we need to know beforehand how we plan to pay for it, we need to be sure that it does less damage than what we have now. With government in charge, it's certainly not a given that it won't.

The medical/industrial complex has had years to make any number of improvements, like setting up clinics next door to ERs. They didn't even make simple solutions like that happen. Ask yourself why? The higher the costs, the more you need to buy their product. They have no interest in your health or your saving you money.

This is the time to change the health care
system and not put lipstick on the insurance and drug company pig.
Now is the chance that will not come again to help the American people get affordable treatment.
Don't believe the lies paid for by the parasites who have lived off your misery for so long.
Urge your representatives to vote for change as if your life depends on it, because it does.

The ones who are spreading the lies about Obama's health reform are the insurance companies whose profits has risen from enormously in the last decade. Why Republicans don't want to stop this rationing of care by the insurance companies I don't know. They ration care out according to those who are able to pay their high salaries and big profits. It would be so much cheaper without them. And Right now, I can't go to the doctor I want, because he isn't on the insurance company's list. So right now we have rationing, and no choice. What are people complaining about the public option. With the public option we won't have to pay to line the pockets of their CEO's with their huge salaries. Obama is right to call them scare tactics. And people are dumb enough to listen to the insurance company scare tactics. If we don't get health care reform now, the insurance companies will keep raising the prices till only the rich can afford a doctor.

I pay $300/month and have a $5000 deductible. I have not been to a doctor in three years. I feel I just pay to fatten the CEO's of the insurance companies. Something has got to give. The system is not working.

States should be responsible for providing insurance to un-insured or under insured persons. Workers w/o insurance should be charged sliding scale based on their income. Non workers w/o insurance can use a medicare hmo that can be estatblished at public health center. It should not be an employer burden. They can receive a tax credit if government wants to help. Taxpayers should not have to pay burden. Public health centers/hospitals that establish a routine medical office can pick these people up and have an additional source of income. Drug companies should have to contribute to these centers in order to establish a pharmecutical dispense site/pharmacy there. The system as it stands otherwise should stay in place - we don't need an overhaul, we need some tweaking to the current system. Universal health care in this country will be a disaster. Keep it simple.

debmries writes:
Fifty Million Americans do not have health coverage..--
That's not true.
About 20 million Americans don't - mostly because
1. They choose not too.
2. They are drug addicts
3. They can't afford it.
The rest are illegals.
===============================
It is impossible to reach people like this writer because they ignore the facts that have overwhelmed tens of millions of Americans NOT like her. She seems to live on a different planet. But it is people like her to whom the politicians are still giving lip service. I say it is overdue for a national program, even if we have to ram the costs down the throats of the wealthy and stupid.

It appears Obama is intent on shoving this down the throats of Americans, despite huge unexplainable gaps and far more questions than answers.

One must stand back in awe at our Congress and President who have convinced their followers that they can draft a National Health Care Plan in a few short months that covers 97% of Americans by 2015 without raising taxes on the Middle Class. That’s quite an accomplishment.

If Obama can pull this off, and get Congress to draft something - anything – for his signature, that vaguely resembles a health care plan, I sure do hope it works. If it doesn't a whole lot of Americans are going to be totally PO'd and we will see a lot of new faces in our Congress after the next elections.

Hmmmmmmm – It looks like this could have a happy ending no matter which way it goes.

Why is everything such a massive rush , a frenzy Obama ????..Obama is instilling fear in people so they will rise up against their legislators and demand that they pass this bill. It is massive, most of the dont bother to read it, and there are all kinds of loopholes in there that do NOT benefit the American people. The money trail will show benefits for Obama's radical backers and thats the only reason he wants to pass it so quickly. He already admitted that he wouldnt even put his own family on this plan..That says it all folks!!!

States should be responsible for providing insurance to un-insured or under insured persons. Workers w/o insurance should be charged sliding scale based on their income. It should not be an employer burden. They can receive a tax credit if government wants to help. Taxpayers should not have to pay burden. Public health centers/hospitals that establish a routine medical office can pick these people up and have an additional source of income. Drug companies should have to contribute to these centers in order to establish a pharmecutical company their. The system as it stands otherwise should stay in place - we don't need an overhaul, we need some tweaking to the current system. Universal health care in this country will be a disaster. Keep it simple.

As others have state, Health Care and CapNtrade are nothing but huge tax increases. Parasitic government lives off the blood of the private sector economy, but now it is going for the kill. Instead of nurturing free enterprise, the communists are out to destroy it.

Interesting that the "lawmakers" and federal employees will be exempt from this astonishingly great healthcare proposal. Not one Dummycrat has signed on to participate and as I have read, there is an amendment that exempts them for five years (and counting) from being part of this "utopian" plan. This administration is rapidly tearing apart the fabric of American life and trying to shape it into the "Progressive Saul Alinsky" ultra-socialist model. What's the rush? Obama knows that if he throws out enough boondoggle programs like " Cap and Con" and "HealthCare Universal" and "Stimulus Dollars" we will not be able to focus on any one thing. Think again, Mr. President. 2010 is not far away. The left-wing of his party should be very careful now. They may not be back for another round of destruction.

The 'government option' will destroy private health insurance and will become the 'only option'. As it does with every other program it touches, the bureaucratic bloat of government will consume 75% of every 'health care' dollar while doctors and hospitals will be squeezed out of existence. The US will be importing ‘doctors’ and ‘nurses’ from Mexico as they will be the only ones willing to work for the peanuts government run health care will pay.

I don't believe a word coming out of this administration.....they're liars and totally dishonest. The CBO is the one to believe! This will cost everyone huge amounts of additional taxes except for those who do not pay taxes, many in the pinhead administration and those who will always receive tax credits. Plus imagine, going to see the doctor and three times as many people are there only due to the fact
that for them it's free.

What this healthcare debate is proving is 1) many politicians are more interested in keeping a system of kickbacks and payoffs by medical industry lobbyists than they are in the health of the US ecomony and the well-being of its citizens; 2) that the Republican claims of supporting small business are a farse since these businesses are suffering the most from healthcare cost, but even major corporations are suffering and, in fact, a major reason for GM's problems was its massive burden from medical coverage for retired and current employees; and 3) that the system of lobbyist bribary and influence peddling is anti-American, corruptive and destroying the United States from within.

If you want to cover the cost of healthcare, it's easy: close all loopholes in the tax system allowing for offshore accounts that allow tax evaders, mostly the 1.5 percent Obama wants to raise taxes on. This tax evasion tactic of the rich denies the US of $350 billion per year. Over 10 years that's $3.5 trillion, more than the $1 trillion of over 10 years needed for healthcare and enough to provice full coverage for a very reasonable price.

Why is it that every civilized country in the world can do this but the US cannot? Stupidity or corruption?

If Congress and Obama will simply make themselves and all federal employees subject to the bill, I will fully support it. Until then, our leadership and the bureaucracy that interprets and implements Congressional "intent" have no skin in the game. It will become another costly, unmitigated disaster (er, bureacracy) that, once started, cannot be undone.

Without health care reform it will be difficult for the President to work at repairing our economy, which is in a bad state.

Our domestic agenda has been ignored over these many years... this is the time to talk health care and more. This Congress has a responsibility to help move this legislation forward in a meaningful way.

The President knows what he's up against, and must pull every "string" President Johnston, style.

The present system doesn't work. But, I don’t want the government to be the insurance business.

On the other hand, the present system has far too many problems.

*It gives no one an incentive to economize. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a specialist and he’s ordered duplicates of tests the GP did only a week or two before.
*There is no portability in plans. People are shackled to corporations.
People with preexisting conditions can’t get insurance at any price. Unless you’re Steve Jobs, you’re shut out.
*Using emergency rooms to treat the poor is incredibly inefficient and the public will not tolerate a situation where we shut those people off completely.

There are ways to solve these problems without government-paid universal care. But, part of the reason nothing has been done is the all-or-nothing political environment. As things presently stand, I’ve decided to oppose Obama’s plan because the one feature that he's insisting on is a "public" option. He knows that so long as this is in the legislation, it can be morphed into a government-run universal system.
I thought for a short time that he might be truly pragmatic. But, even if he is, there are no capable conservatives to help him keep the left wing of his party at bay (and I’m beginning to think he has known that all along).

I blame conservatives for allowing things to deteriorate to the point where only the Democratic Party is making serious efforts to solve these problems.

My only hope now is that the Independents who have supported Obama are like me and have woken up to the game (It’s encouraging that David Brooks has. I consider him a good bellwether for Independents.). But, ultimately, we need the Republican Party get serious about solving these problems and they aren’t going to do it with old-fashioned Darwinian capitalism.

Another problem is the timing. We are still in the middle of a financial crisis. Everyone should keep in mind that nations can go bankrupt. If our foreign creditors decide that we can't pay our bills, they won't buy our treasury notes and the consequences of that are far more serious than going several more rounds on healthcare.

Single payer is the least expensive solution, and the one most favored by the majority of taxpayers.

Any lawmaker who choses to cave in to pressure from insurance companies, (which is paid for by diverting our health care premiums from their intended purpose), should be publicly shamed, then challenged and defeated in the next election, (preferabley by a democrat or an independent, but never by a republican).

The healthcare reform bill released by the House Of Representatives is an excellent bill as I understand it. It's a bill with a strong, robust, government-run public option, and an intelligent, reasonable initial funding plan to cover almost all of the American people. It is carefully written, and thoughtfully constructed, informed, prudent and wise. This bill will save trillions of dollars, and millions of your lives. It is also now supported by the AMA.

This is the type of bill that all Americans can feel good about. And this is the type of bill that has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of healthcare for all Americans. Rich, middle class and poor a like. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, and all other party affiliations. This bill has the potential to dramatically improve the quality of life of every American.

The house healthcare bill should be viewed as the minimum GOLD STANDARD by which all other proposed healthcare legislation should be judged. All supporters of true high quality healthcare reform should now place all your support behind this healthcare reform bill released by the United States House Of Representatives, as the minimum Gold standard for healthcare reform in America.

You should all now support this bill with all your might, and all of your unrelenting tenacity. This healthcare bill is a VERY, VERY GOOD! bill for all of the American people. Fight tooth, and nail for every bit of this bill if you have too. Be aggressive, creative, and relentless for this bill.

From this time forward, go BIGGER and DEEPER with the American people every day until passage of healthcare reform with a robust, government-run public option.

FIGHT!! like your life and the lives of your loved ones depends on it. BECAUSE IT DOES!

It should also be noted that Ron Wyden's "Free Choice Proposal" in the senate is a highly intriguing proposal and possibly a brilliant idea. And an Idea that should be strongly looked into as a way of increasing consumer choice, and consumer access to a government-run public option.

Everyone keeps saying; How are we going to pay for a single payer health care system.

I'm hearing how it will decimate small businesses. I'm hearing we'll have to raise taxes on businesses, lower, middle, and upper taxpayers. Everyone will have to pony up more money!

I hear, in this tough economy, it will drive us further into a recession.

Could someone tell me? HOW THE H3LL ARE YOU PAYING FOR YOUR HEALTH INSURANCE NOW?

I don't know about anyone else here, but my company and I are shelling out over $12,000 a year for health insurance for my family, that we don't even use up.

On top of that, if I were to have a serious debilitating disease, and get laid off for not showing up for work, I and my family don't have insurance for the interim.

And on top of that, if the time I did go back to work and get insurance for myself and my family, because I had a preexisting illness, that new insurance company wouldn't cover any of the medical complications, or prescriptions I might need from that preexisting illness.

What an incredibly wonderful health care industry we have!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I hear of a young child, whose family doesn't have health insurance, has a simple tooth ache, and the parents think it will go away, but later abscesses, moves to his brain and the child dies, I might look at the parents and ask "how could you," but I'd also have to look at the health industry, and Congress and ask "what's going on!

"That's simply not true", said the Second Coming of the CBO's conclusion that Obama's health care plan will not cut costs, but will add to the nation's deficit. Obama must indeed be the Messiah, as in addition to being faster than a speeding bullet, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, he has superior economic insights to the trained economists in the CBO.

As a side note, notice how when a Republican president is in office, or when Republicans control Congress, the Post always cites the CBO as the "non-partisan Congressional Budget Office", but drops the adjective when Democrats are in the WH or control Congress.

Democrats in Congress should ignore Republican threats to scuttle down the road any health care reform Democrats pass.

Republicans wouldn't dare.

Once health care reform becomes law, it will garner so much support among the American electorate that it will be invulnerable to attack by those who would alter it in any fundamental way.

Take social security and Medicare, for example. Both programs have their problems -- underfunding being central -- but NO ONE dares to fundamentally alter either program. (Just ask the Republicans -- they tried with everything they had during the Bush Administration to fundamentally alter Social Security and they failed and failed big-time).

So, get on it Democrats. You get an A for effort in attempting to bring Republicans on board. But if your program passes with only token Republican support, forget it. Once your health care reform passes, the debate becomes merely academic.

I have been dividing my life between Germany and America for several years. Germany does not have a single-payer health system, but it has universal coverage, provided by a mix of private and semi-official insurance companies. Costs are a problem, but nothing like the piece of the national wealth that Americans now are paying for a system that doesn't adequately cover millions and millions of people. Everyone I know in Germany gets prompt, adequate and expert health care, including a lot of preventive medicine. People in Germany think that Americans are fools or captives of the medical, pharmaceutical, and insurance lobbies, else Americans would have had a decent health insurance system long ago. Let's make it completely clear to the members of Congress. Act now to give us proper health care, or we will gladly send you packing at the earliest opportunity.

..."You bet we/Democrats and the President will pass the biggest piece of legislation in 70 years, while the Republicans do all they can to stop it, "THE TIDE" has turned for Health Care for all, and All American's want to see this done, and the Democrats had better get it done, otherwise they will "NOT" be re-elected in 2012 "WE PASS THIS...."WE WILL BE!

I just do not know what the big rush is. Can we please have BOTH sides read the Bill FIRST. Debating some thing that is not there is a little stupid no it is a lot stupid.
When asked not one dem on the hill would sign up for this coverage...why...if it is good enough for the goose it is good enough for the gander.
When the ones writing this bill think it is not good enough for their famlies why do you think it is the best thing for your family??

Bring a Job home, Call Obama 202-456-1111 we want a 3% retail sales tax on all imported goods to pay for healthcare. This would help encourage Buy America the manufactures left in America and maybe bring a Job home

When you get sick do you care what a doctor's political affiliation is?
A little timely treatment can prevent catastrophic illness later on.
But that cuts into the drug companies bottom line. Enough B.S. Time to change the system.
It's killing us for profit.

--
Do you have any idea how long a pharma company or medical device company may work on a new product? Usually 7 to 20 years. They need to make a profit or who is going to do that? Why don't you do some research and compare the new drug treatments or medical devices that came out of russia, europe or canada to USA.

Well, seemstome, I live in France where health care costs only 2/3 of what America spends. It is quite telling that the Congress is exempting the entire Federal establishment from Obama care and keeping their multi-carrier insurance system in place.

No, I am not taking bribes, but perhaps Congress knows something you do not.

When you get sick do you care what a doctor's political affiliation is?
A little timely treatment can prevent catastrophic illness later on.
But that cuts into the drug companies bottom line. Enough B.S. Time to change the system.
It's killing us for profit.

What these proposals are about is "pulling the wool" over the American peoples eyes.
See this administration truly believes Americans are too stupid to see their real agenda and that is socialism, take over the economy.
This has nothing to do with healthcare and everything to do with POWER.

There is an almost supernatural confidence among Americans that single payer systems are far superior to our multiple carrier insurance system. Well, we have one. Its called Medicare. It is rife with fraud and abuse and the lack of audits. Dishonest doctors and clinics make claims for patients who don't exist, and for services never provided.

Both the systems in the UK and Canada are single payer systems and so many citizens of those countries come to the US for treatments that are unavailable in those countries, that it is clear that a single payer system which refuses to provide care is not a good solution.

The French system is also a single payer system. It is far more liberal than other single payer systems, and the health care is the best in the world.

The Congress has a multiple payer system with hundreds of insurance carriers. This is done because the needs of individuals vary, and one size does not fit all. Young people do not need as much insurance as the elder population, and without a choice, it is not clear that a single payer system with stringent rules is such a good idea.

As usual, the devil is in the details. But, so far, the Administration's recommendations are absolutely terrible. Refusing treatments to sixty year olds and sending them to a hospice is something out of Nazi Germany.

And, the Congressional Budget Office says the Obama plan could cost 1.6 trillion dollars over ten years. Well, we don't have this much money, and if we suffer Treasury borrowing problems, in order to fund the current deficit and medical care, Federal taxes will need to be doubled, and the 50% of the population who do not pay taxes will vote to put the burden on everyone else and this means the US will have the highest tax burden in the world.

Is this what we want? Well, like it or not, this is what Obama is doing.

I pay 400 dollars a month for health insurance I can't afford to use. What good is it? If that isn't a tax on the poor what is? There's a lot of money riding on this, mainly bribe money from the insurance and drug companies. I'm already paying for something I can't afford to use. I want to pay for something I can.

Just a couple of days ago I read several news stories stating that the budget director said the Obama plan will actually raise costs rather than cut them. Of course, as usual, any and everything that questions Obama and his policies, disappeared quickly from the news. Washington Post seems to be underplaying the budget director now. Every American citizen needs to question all media in this country, read between the lines and look for the constant lies of omission in articles, as the media in general, is calling the shots for all Americans. Do we really want that, whatever our political persuasion?

Oh what a hypocrite -- cut Medicare reimbursements so doctors and hospitals refuse to accept patients, essentially destroying Medicare, refuse to pay for life-saving treatments for the elderly and send them to a hospice. Provide free insurance to buy the votes of the poor and illegals who are recruited to vote illegally by ACORN. Use tax payer money to compete with insurance companies. Put an enormous burden on the health care industry making everyone wait for care, perhaps for months. Tax business owners to pay more than their fair share of other's medical costs, but cap malpractice suit awards -- never!

He calls this "reform?" This is a massive redistribution of wealth from the elderly to the Democrat voters. He will destroy the insurance industry, Medicare, pharmaceutical research, and reduce the incomes of health care providers. This will cause a terrible shortage of doctors who will decide to retire, or practice offshore, rather than work for substandard wages.

Tax money can pay for moon walking and it can pay for war making but it can't be used for taking care of American citizens.
Time to tell the insurance and drug monopolies we've had enough of their lies.

As long as Obama and the Congress continue to keep themselves out of the plan how can they be taken seriously? Small Business will bear the brunt of the cost and this will help in closing down many a small business.
If you would care to join in our discussion on what small business has to do to survive visit.http://www.electaconservative.com